


Learning

by karrahbear



Series: Malec Drabbles [3]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-10
Updated: 2017-03-10
Packaged: 2018-10-02 08:36:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10213712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karrahbear/pseuds/karrahbear
Summary: Alec teaches Magnus how to defend himself.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Un-beta'd. All errors are my own.

“Okay, bend your knees just a little and widen your stance a couple inches… Better, much better.”

A bead of sweat trickled down Magnus’s spine. 

“Ready?”

He nodded.

“Try it again.”

Magnus’s left fist shot out in a backfist, smacking against the mitt in Alec’s right hand, followed quickly by his right fist in a cross punch, which made contact with the chest guard Alec wore.

“Again.”

Magnus repeated the exercise several more times before Alec told him to switch feet and made him do the same thing again except with the opposite hands. When he was finished, his heart rate was elevated, his face was flushed, and there was sweat trickling down his temple.

“You’re getting better,” Alec said, pulling the mitts off his hands. He tossed them aside and approached Magnus. “You just need to turn your hips into the cross more. Get back into your fighting stance.”

The warlock did what he was told and watched as Alec took the same position next to him.

“Like this,” Alec told him, going through the motions slowly.

His rear fist extended forward, following a straight line at chest height.

“Notice my hips and my feet?”

This time Magnus looked down. Alec’s hips had rotated so instead of being perpendicular to the attacker, they were now facing the attacker. His back foot had twisted on the mat so that it was also facing the attacker, but only the ball of it remained on the ground. 

“The power in this move comes from the rotation of the hips and the shift of body weight from the back foot to the front foot.”

Magnus nodded and did the same as Alec, moving his body through the motions slowly. It reminded him of Tai Chi. The movements and concepts were similar but the techniques Alec was teaching him had small details that made huge differences, especially when it came to speed or power. Keeping the knees bent and knowing how to distribute one’s weight could shave milliseconds off a response time, which might not have seemed important, but when attacked by someone swinging a blade, those milliseconds could mean the difference between life and death.

Alec watched Magnus go through the slow motion exercise again before grinning.

“Much improved, grasshopper.”

Magnus straightened up and delicately wiped at the bead of sweat that was sliding around his eyebrow.

“I certainly hope that’s not a pet name,” the warlock said.

Alec chuckled as he scooped up the mitts he’d discarded on the floor and padded over to his gym bag. The shadowhunter dug around for a moment before spinning around and flinging a hand towel at him. Magnus snatched it out the air and used it to dry his face and the back of his neck.

He wasn’t wearing makeup, his hair wasn’t coiffed, and he was dressed blandly in a black tank top and a pair of black cotton martial arts pants, the former of which was soaked in sweat for their two hour practice. It wasn’t often that he was so underdressed, even at home, and he shifted uneasily.

“I could use a shower,” Alec said, tossing his bag over his shoulder. He approached where Magnus stood and wrinkled his nose. “But you need one more.”

Magnus slapped a hand over his heart, his mouth open in affront.

“Excuse me?”

“I was trying to be delicate, but really Mags. You stink.”

The warlock couldn’t stop the smile that broke across his face as his boyfriend gazed down at him, eyes twinkling with mirth. 

“Like you’re one to talk, shadowhunter. Coming home covered in ichor and sweat, stinking up the loft with the smell of dead demon. And how many times have I complained?”

Alec raised an eyebrow.

“Nevermind. Don’t answer that.”

Magnus turned away and waved his hand, conjuring a swirling purple vortex. He was getting ready to turn back to Alec when the shadowhunter stepped forward, crowding into his personal space. Alec’s hands settled on his hips and he nudged Magnus forward. They stepped through the portal into the loft. 

Alec didn’t let go of him after the wormhole closed, and instead, pulled Magnus back against his chest, one of Alec’s arms around his middle and the other around his chest and shoulders. The shadowhunter didn’t say anything for several seconds, simply held him, and while Magnus wondered briefly about what had brought on the sudden affection, he definitely didn’t mind.

“Thank you, Mags.”

“You thank me a lot,” the warlock answered. “What did I do this time?”

“For letting me teach you.” Alec dropped a kiss to the crown of Magnus’s head. “I know you think it’s ridiculous, but after some of the shitty situations we’ve been in, it terrifies me to think about what would happen to you if you couldn’t use your magic for some reason. If we, if you, ended up in a situation like that…”

“It’s not ridiculous Alexander.”

“I just… It makes me feel better that you’ll know how to protect yourself even without magic.”

Magnus turned in his grip to meet Alec’s eyes.

“If teaching me to fight eases your nerves, then I am more than willing to learn.” His mouth quirked up at the corners. “After all, it’s not every day that one can teach an old warlock new tricks.”

They stood together, arms around each other for a long time, not needing to speak, simply content with the silence and the other’s presence.

“You know, you’re beautiful like this.”

Alec’s voice was low, as though he didn’t want to shatter the atmosphere they’d created.

“It’s not often that I get to see you so…”

“Sloppy?”

“Human.”

Magnus hummed.

“Usually nothing fazes you. There’s nothing you’re unfamiliar with. So to see you learning something new, willingly and enthusiastically, from someone with barely a fraction of your knowledge and experience… I love it.”

“There is always something to learn, Alexander. Everyone you ever meet will know something you don’t.”

“Who said that?”

“You don’t believe that it was my own insight?”

Alec’s eyebrow rose again.

“Fine,” Magnus huffed. “It was Bill Nye.”

“Who?”

“Bill Nye, the Science Guy.” Magnus rolled his eyes at the unchanged expression on Alec’s face. “Darling, you really must get acquainted with some Mundie pop culture.” 

“Says who?”

“Says me,” Magnus answered, wiggling out of his arms and heading down the hallway. “But first, a shower. Because you stink.”

Alec laughed and then loped to catch up with his boyfriend.

Half an hour later, Magnus was in a clean pair of sweats and one of Alec’s t-shirts, his hair tousled and damp, flipping idly through a magazine while he waited for Alec to finish his shower. 

“Took you long enough,” he said, not looking up as the shadowhunter stepped out of the bathroom. 

A damp towel landed over his head and Magnus peeked out from under it to find his naked boyfriend crossing the room on a quest for clothes. He wolf whistled. Alec didn’t look at him, but Magnus could see the tips of his ears turning red before he disappeared into the closet.

When Alec emerged, he was wearing faded jeans and pulling a t-shirt over his head.

“I’ve got something for you.”

Alec tipped his head at the statement. Magnus dropped his magazine, stood up, and picked something up from his dresser before he approached Alec. 

“This is for you,” he said, opening his hand.

Alec gazed at the item in his palm. It was a simple silver chain with a single rune shaped pendant.

“Magic,” Alec murmured, reading the rune.

“It’s got a touch of magic in it. Not a lot, of course, but enough to open a door or cure a headache.” Magnus paused before giving Alec a sly smile. “Or maybe close the curtains.”

The bright laugh the bubbled out of the shadowhunter’s throat washed over Magnus like summer sun. Warm and lovely.

“You’ve given me a piece of your magic to keep me safe,” Magnus continued, reaching up to fasten the necklace around Alec’s neck. “So now I’m giving you a piece of mine.”

The choked noise Alec made at his gesture and the bruising kiss he followed it with totally made up for the sore muscles and achy body the next day.


End file.
